Power Of The Storm
by Higuchimon
Summary: Juri comes to visit Ruki during a storm and finds out something she never knew about her.


_**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters presented here and this is done only for entertainment purposes.  
**Title:** The Power of the Storm  
**Romance:** Juri x Ruki  
**Rated:** PG-13  
**Season/Timeline:** Eight years after the end of Digimon Tamers.  
**Summary:** Juri comes to visit Ruki during a violent storm._

The clouds had been gathering over West Shinjuku, and most of Tokyo, for two days now. The feeling of electricity was thick in the air, and the weather forecasters had been predicting a very massive storm. Nothing had actually broken though, so Katou Juri felt safe in heading over to Ruki's house to spend the afternoon.

As the years had passed, the pain of losing Leomon had faded and she had began to move forward in her life. She had made it a point to never forget him, but she knew that he wouldn't want her to sit around and mope for him for her entire life. A part of her had just wanted to pull away from them all, even after everything with the D-Reaper, but she hadn't listened to it.

In the eight years since, she and Ruki had grown very close. They weren't _best_ friends, that was what Takato was, but they were still close. Being the two oldest female Tamers had something to do with it, even now. Ruki had continued to teach her the card game, and she'd even been able to enter into the Tournament the year before, and had placed highly enough so that the "Digimon card playing royalty" included not only the Digimon King Ryo, the Digimon Queen Ruki, but now the Digimon Princess.

_I think Leomon would be proud of me._ She glanced down at the pack she carried with her cards in it. That was just one of the habits that she'd picked up from Ruki, along with a skilled eye for what could work the best in most situations. She and Ruki made certain they didn't have all the same cards in their respective decks; it made things much more interesting when they were in the Digital World, if something attacked and Ruki didn't have something that was fitting for the occasion, and she did.

In a lot of ways, _they_ were partners just as much as Ruki and Renamon were. Of course, Ruki couldn't slash a card and make Juri stronger, but she didn't have to, either. _She makes me stronger just by existing._ Juri's eyes softened a touch at the thought of her friend. Over the last few months she'd begun to have very strange feelings towards Ruki, feelings that she was fairly certain were romantic ones.

"Hello, Juri." The quiet voice could only belong to one Digimon, and the brown-haired girl smiled over to Renamon, who had faded in on top of one of the branches of a tree outside the house. "Ruki's inside. You're just in time for lunch."

"Thanks." Juri glanced up as a peal of thunder rolled across the heavens. "I'd better get inside; it looks as if it's going to start pouring any second now."

Renamon's eyes flicked to the sky, and she nodded quietly. "The storm's been threatening for days. I can feel it in my fur. It's going to be a bad one."

Juri nodded, then quickly hustled inside, glancing back to see the vulpine creature fading away as she teleported off somewhere. _At least she's going to be dry. Wet Renamon does **not** smell good._ She vividly remembered when they'd all went swimming the previous summer, and she and Ruki had persuaded Renamon to swim for a while. The smell had...not been pleasant.

"Hi, Juri." It was Ruki who spoke this time, and she had a small warm smile for her friend. Juri smiled back at her.

"That storm's going to break any second now." The brown-haired girl waved a hand at the sky visible through the window. "I think I got here just in time."

Ruki's eyes flicked to the window, and a tiny, almost unnoticeable shiver ran through her. "I've never liked storms." Her voice held that same old confidence and strength that she'd always had, but Juri was almost certain that underneath it, Ruki's voice was...wavering?

"There's nothing really that bad about them." Juri shrugged, feeling a bit odd. It had always been Ruki who had supported _her_ in the past, while she had been the one who had been wavering and uncertain and scared of life itself at times. Was there about to be a role reversal of some kind? _Can I help her like she did me? I don't think...no, I **know** Ruki doesn't like to need help. She'll take it if she really has to, but she doesn't **like** it._

"I know." If Ruki _was_ upset or scared or nervous she wasn't showing it as she curled up on the living room seat next to Juri. They'd planned to spend the day just talking and maybe doing some practicing with the cards, or even surfing on the internet some, since Ruki's grandmother and mother were spending the day in Odaiba together, leaving the computer free. "I just don't like them, though. I'm not _scared_ of them, of course." Her tones turned scornful at the very thought of being scared of a mere _storm_. "They're just noisy and irritating and they make it impossible to go outside and have any fun."

Juri shrugged. "We weren't going to be going out and having fun anyway, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Ruki shrugged a little. "But it's different staying inside because you _want_ to and staying inside because you _have_ to."

"I guess you're right. But it's just a storm, it won't last forever." She smiled a little weakly. "Nothing lasts forever, even storms."

Ruki looked over at her, knowing that Juri knew what she was talking about. "This time you're right." The Digimon Queen pulled out her card deck. "Come on, let's get some practice in. Renamon and I were planning on spending the weekend in the Digital World, you can come along if you want."

"Oh?" Juri looked a little interested as she pulled her own deck out. "Trouble or just hanging out?"

"We received word that a pack of nasty viral Gizamon are harassing a village of Yokomon." Renamon faded into existence a few feet away, looking as if she'd been there the whole time. As far as Juri knew, she probably had been. "They aren't that much of a threat, but the Yokomon are having problems. We can take care of it easily enough."

Juri nodded. "I'll come along; I don't have any homework this weekend, I finished it before I came over. When are we leaving?"

The three of them made various plans for the trip, ignoring the sudden splatter of rain on the side of the house as the heavens opened and the rain flooded down outside. Juri noticed that Ruki was very noticeably keeping her attention on the cards before her, and _not_ on the rain outside. She went out of her way, but not obviously so, to make sure the game was challenging enough to keep Ruki's attention on it, and not on what was going on with the weather.

All of her efforts failed, however, when there was a crack of thunder loud enough to shake the entire house, a streak of lightning that seemed to rip the heavens open with it's brilliance, and every light in the house flickered and went out. The first thing Juri noticed was that it was _very_ dark; night had fallen while they were playing.

Things were quiet for a moment, then the silence was broken by Renamon. "Ruki? Juri? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Juri responded at once, then glanced through the thick darkness the best that she could, trying to find Ruki. Instinctively her hand crept across to where she'd last seen her friend. "Ruki?"

"I'm all right." There was an extra hint of steel in Ruki's voice. "It's just a storm. Just the dark."

There was the soft sound of furred paws across the floor, and then Juri was almost certain that Renamon was beside Ruki. "You are not alone, Ruki." The foxmon's voice was cool and quiet and firm. "We are both here with you."

"I'm not scared, Renamon." Ruki told her. "I know you're both here, and I'm glad you are."

There was something that was very like a smile in Renamon's voice. "I know you aren't afraid. But I've also seen you in storms."

Juri's questing hand then found Ruki's, and she wrapped her fingers around the other woman's. "There's still things we can do, Ruki. Maybe tell ghost stories or something?"

"No." Ruki's reaction wasn't one of fear, but more of scorn and scoffing. "You think there's a ghost story that could scare either of us?"

Juri thought about that one for a minute. "You're probably right. But that doesn't mean we can't figure out _something_."

"Like what? We're in the dark, we can't go out, and there's nothing we can do. We can't even keep playing; it's too dark!"

Renamon's quiet voice broke in. "I'm going to make certain there's been no damage to the house. Will the two of you be all right here?"

If Juri could see Ruki, she would have been certain that the redhead was rolling her eyes. "Of course we'll be all right. We're _just_ in the dark; all we have to do is not move, and hope nothing falls on us."

Renamon was used to Ruki's occasional sarcastic moments, and let this slide. "I'll be back soon. If you need anything..."

"I know, I know." Ruki's voice held a touch of sisterly affection. "I just have to call and you'll be there. We've been together eight years now, Renamon. I know how it works."

There was a quiet chuckle, then the sense of Renamon's presence faded, leaving the two women alone in the dark together, with only the patter of rain and the rumble of thunder for background sound. No one said anything for a few minutes. It was rather hard to figure out _what_ to say, really.

"Why don't you like storms?" Juri finally broke the silence. "I've never known you to be afraid of _anything_."

Ruki snorted. "I'm _not_ afraid of them. I just don't like them." There was something in the quality of her voice, something that Juri couldn't put a name to, but she just _knew_ Ruki wasn't telling the entire truth.

"So why don't you like them? Or why do you _dislike_ them like this?" Something inside of Juri told her that finding out the answer to this little mystery was going to change things a _great_ deal.

The silence fell again as Juri waited patiently for Ruki to answer her. There was no way she was going to back down from this. _She and Takato talked me into talking when I didn't really want to. Now it's my turn._

"It happened when I was three. I was just a stupid little kid." Ruki's voice was a trifle restrained and the tiniest bit reluctant. "I was feeling kind of restless. I've always liked being outside." She was quiet for a moment, then kept going. "Mom and Grandma were somewhere in the house, I don't remember where, but they weren't watching me." Her fingers tightened briefly against Juri's. "I don't _think_ they meant to leave me alone, but I was, and I got out."

Juri listened carefully, starting to gently rub her fingers against Ruki's, hoping that the soothing rhythm would help her. The fact that she liked feeling Ruki's hand in hers, and to hear Ruki's voice telling her a secret that she could quite probably have never told anyone else, even Renamon, meant absolutely nothing. Or so she kept telling herself as she paid attention.

"I wandered around for a while, hours I guess, and it started to cloud up. I didn't even notice back then, not seriously. I thought it was going to be just a summer shower. That's what it _should_ have been. But then...there was this crack of thunder..." Ruki couldn't fully stifle the shudder that went through her at the memory. For a moment, she was a three year old again, outside, lost, and alone, in a situation her small mind hadn't been able to comprehend.

With a deep breath, the redhead continued. "It started to rain, really badly. Thunder, lightning everywhere. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I had no idea where I was, and all I knew then was that I was absolutely terrified. I just kept running; I wanted to go home." She took a deep breath. "I finally just curled up in a tree and stayed where I was. When the storm finally stopped, Mom and Grandma came looking for me, and found me. I'd been out there...all night." She shuddered briefly. "Ever since then, I can't stand the thought of storms, especially storms at night. It's stupid, I know, but I keep thinking about being all alone and not knowing where I was, and being...being scared."

Juri squeezed her hand gently, and moved herself a little closer. "You know that's not how things are now, though. You're safe, you're home, and you're not alone."

"I know." A blast of lightning lit the room enough so Juri could see Ruki with a small smile on her lips. "But it still makes me nervous. I can't help it." As the light faded, the smile did as well. "I don't _like_ it either."

Juri nodded slowly, then grinned, standing up quickly. "Come on. I've got an idea."

"An idea?" Ruki didn't move though Juri kept tugging on her wrists. "What kind of an idea?"

The brown-haired girl grinned. "I know how to keep you from being upset by storms."

"What?" Ruki didn't move an inch. "What are you talking about? It's not _that_ important."

Juri tugged again, and managed to get Ruki off the couch. "Just trust me, Ruki, please?" She knew that trust was something akin to the Loch Ness Monster in Ruki's point of view: she'd heard of it but she'd never actually seen it that often.

"Oh, all right." Ruki let herself be hauled up, and Juri carefully led her through the shadowed room until they came to the door leading outside. "Juri, what are you doing?"

The other woman looked at her with a grin and a spark to her eyes. "The only way to get over being nervous is to see that it's _not_ that bad out there now that you're grown up."

She swung the door open and before Ruki could utter more than a few words in protest, Juri pulled her out into the pouring rain. "See?" Juri grinned at her, the expression just visible through flickering sheets of lightning. "It's not that bad!"

Ruki looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "You're _crazy_! We're going to catch our death of cold out here!"

"Come on!" Juri tugged her farther away from the door. "You can't tell me you're _afraid_, can you?"

Ruki glared for a moment, then took a couple of steps away from the house, glancing around carefully. "Of course I'm not afraid! It's just _water_." She jumped a bit in surprise as a roll of thunder cracked across the sky. "So how long do you think we're going to stay out here until I'm 'cured'?"

Juri just laughed, and grinned at her. "As long as we have to. Come on, let's go for a walk."

"A walk in the rain?" Ruki stared at her. "All right, but if I catch pneumonia, _you're_ the one paying my doctor bill."

"It's a deal." Juri declared, her hand finding Ruki's again without even thinking about it. For a moment, the two of them stood there staring at each other, each searching the other's eyes for something. Then, without a word spoken, they started to walk together, hand in hand.

The storm seemed to be easing off as they walked, though occasional spats of rain and wind did come down at irregular intervals. With each moment she spent outside, Ruki relaxed a little more, until she was feeling about as she usually did when the weather was fine. "Thanks, Juri." She looked over at her friend. "I wasn't really scared, you know that, right?"

"I know." Juri acknowledged that. It wasn't _fear_ that Ruki had been having to deal with. It was the fear _of_ fear. Of being as helpless as she had been when she was three. _Every time I turn around, she's got another secret. It's kind of weird in a way._ Something occured to her just then and she grinned, her fingers tightening somewhat around Ruki's hand. "You know, I should start calling you tamanegi."

Ruki looked over at her in surprise. "Tamanegi? why in the world do you want to call me an _onion_?" Of all the things she'd been called over the years, that definitely wasn't one of them.

"Because you're like an onion." Juri explained to her, her grin widening a touch. "Every time someone thinks they know everything there is to know about you, there's a fresh layer."

Ruki spluttered for a moment, then just shook her head. "I guess you're right. But...there's nothing wrong with that."

"No." Juri agreed. "I _like_ that about you, Ruki." Her fingers tightened for a moment, and she smiled at the redhead. The next words were not planned, but they came out anyway. "I like _you_, Ruki."

For a moment Ruki kept on walking, then she stopped. "Juri? Did you...just say?" There was a definite tone of shock in her voice. A few guys had asked her out, but she'd always turned them down, Juri knew that. She wasn't entirely sure why, but a part of her hoped that it was because Ruki didn't like guys...

"I said that I like you." Juri looked into her friend's eyes. "I _like_ you. A lot. As...more than a friend." She refused to back down; backing down would show that she wasn't worthy of Ruki, and she so desperately wanted to be.

Ruki looked at her, a thousand emotions fluttering behind her pale violet eyes. Then, her lips moved, and Juri could just barely hear what was being said. "I like you, too, Juri: as more than a friend."

Juri could feel her heart thudding in her chest as it hadn't in her entire life. "You..._what_?"

"I am _not_ going to repeat that!" Ruki almost glared at her, and Juri nodded eagerly.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to, I heard you the first time." She looked at Ruki for a moment, then leaned over to gently brush her lips against Ruki's. The other woman returned the kiss for a moment, and then smiled just a tiny bit.

"Ready to go back?" Ruki motioned back towards her house, and almost as if her hand had summoned them, the lights came back on. "We can finish that game now."

Juri looked at her with a gentle smile. "I don't know. I kind of like being out here...with you. The rain's almost stopped. Why don't we finish our walk and then go back?"

"I'd like that." Ruki's hand tightened around Juri's and they both set off together, hand in hand.

From beneath the shadows of a spreading tree, a Digimon watched as they walked off together. Renamon smiled gently to herself, glad that her partner and her friend had finally found one another, and it was all due to the power of the storm.

**The End**


End file.
